To the Rhythm of the War Drums
by Venom-117
Summary: Third Impact has been avoided because of a mistake by SEELE. If only they'd learnt from their mistake, Something worse than Third Impact wouldn't of been unleashed.


**This came to me randomly last night, So I though i'd might as well do it. **

**Disclaimer - All material involved copyright to repective owners, Unless stated otherwise.**

**If anyone reads this and finds it similar to their own work, I assure you that its done out of tribute for inspiration. **

-

"_B…But why?! can't you stay!" cried Misato. Her friend for the last two years knelt down, so Misato could look into his blue eyes. He gave a heavy sigh._

"_I'm sorry Misato, But our home is under threat from our enemies. We have to go to help our friends." said her friend. _

"_O…Okay…But you'll come back! Right?" she said. Her friend chuckled, and reached to his chest. He handed Misato a small glowing stone._

"_When everything's done and our home is safe, I'll come back for that…Ok?" said her friend _

_gently. _

"_You promise to come back?" said Misato. _

"_I promise." _

"_Ok, I'll keep it safe! I promise!" Misato said Misato as she wiped away her tears._

_Her friend smiled._

"_I'm sure you will." he said, then looked towards the tents blowing in the cold wind._

"_I thought your father would of come to see me off…" he said wearily._

"_Yeah…But he's busy with the experiment, It's really important!" said Misato. _

"_But not too important for that other man to stay…After he pestered so much for it to take place."_

_Misato looked to the floor. "I think he must be important somewhere else, he said was something to do with a meeting." said Misato. Her friend sighed, and stood up. _

"_Very well. Goodbye Misato, I shall see you again." _

_Misato smiled. _

"_Ok, Goodbye." she said. Her friend nodded and walked to his waiting troops and ship. _

_Misato gripped the glowing stone tightly as the ship faded away into the distance, then turned to find her father. _

_Forty-five minutes later, The Second Impact occurred. _

_A few hundred miles away, as the glow lit up the horizon, Gendo Ikari smirked._

---

A now twenty-seven Misato Katsuragi lay bleeding on the floor. She could taste blood in her mouth. She knew she was going to die, it was obvious. _I hope Shinji didn't take what I said about doing the rest later seriously…_she thought, _Or I'm going to be in a right spot…_

At least she had gotten Shinji to the elevator, to his EVA where he would be safe. Misato swallowed and looked up towards the ceiling.

_Why am I thinking about _him…_now?_ thought Misato, as she weakly lifted her arm to grip the small glowing stone she kept on a necklace tucked into her shirt. Every move she made was agony, it felt like her insides where on fire.

Misato felt her bloodstained fingers grip the glowing blue stone.

"Why didn't you come sooner…I can't give this back to you now…" she whispered. Gunfire and screams echoed down the corridors, and the rapid pounding of feet reverberated around her.

Misato could hear the JSSDF forces moving about, and about to move down the corridor.

"I guess…This is the end…" said Misato, as she weakly tried to aim her pistol down the corridor. If this was it, then she was taking some of them with her. Misato's aim wavered, and finally the weight of the pistol won out and it clattered against the floor. Misato coughed and more blood splattered against the floor.

As the shadows got close to the doorway, there was a shout, then the report of guns. There where screams and grunts, and the shadows of the JSSDF soldiers crumpled to the floor. Misato could hear footsteps pounding down the corridor, and the shape of a human knelt next to her.

"Captain! We got a live one here!" shouted the soldier. He was American.

"Alright, We need a medic up here!" shouted the Captain.

"Major? Just relax ok, We'll get you out of here soon," said the soldier.

Misato was saved, so she smiled and started to lay her head back.

_I can give him this back now…Come back soon Pr…_ was her last thought as darkness overtook her.

-

On the geo-front surface, Unit-01 reached the surface. Shinji swallowed, and opened his eyes.

He gasped at the sight in front of him. The Geo-front was in ruins, burnt out VTOLs littered the ground, and burn marks from explosions scarred the earth. Part of the roof had disappeared, But Shinji was relived to see the city he'd fought so many times to defend was still there.

Shinji swallowed, the JSSDF hadn't held back.

Shinji turned to find Asuka, the bright red EVA would stand out easily against the far wall. Who ever had decided to launch Unit-02 into the Geo-front surface said something about the lake, so Shinji decided to try there first.

As Shinji turned, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock. He knew that the MP-EVA's had been deployed, but he didn't expect to see what his eyes where looking at.

Unit-02 was pummelling the head of an MP-EVA into the ground. The head had pretty much turned to mush under the blows of the fists and was just a unrecognisable bloody lump.

"Asuka…?" said Shinji.

"Watch out! These things don't die!" shouted the redhead, as she stood up when another of the MP-EVA's, with a huge hole in its chest stood up.

Shinji nodded, trying to process the events in his brain. A few hours ago, Asuka was comatose on a bed. A few weeks ago, she could barely get her EVA to move.

But now it seemed that whatever problems she had where gone, and was back to her old self, a girl that only felt alive in combat. Add that to what Misato said earlier, and Shinji could feel his brain start to ache.

Everything was happening _WAY_ to fast.

Shinji watched as Unit-02 walked behind the sluggishly moving white EVA, and looped its unbroken umbilical cable around the EVA's neck, and pulled. The white EVA began to struggle, clawing at the thick cable around its neck. Asuka just pulled the cable tighter.

Eventually, its arms went slack, and Unit-02 dropped it to the floor. Shinji looked around, and saw the other MP-EVA's begin to move, including the one that didn't have a head anymore. The white EVA's turned towards Unit-01 and 02, except the one with no head that just stumbled about trying to regain its balance.

"Oh come on!!" screamed Asuka, as she picked up one of the large blades wielded by the MP-EVA's.

"Shinji! What are you waiting for!?" shouted Asuka.

"So-"

"Shinji…I swear to God. If you say your sorry, I will personally give you something to be sorry about!"

"Oh…Er…Ok?" said Shinji.

"Oh! You do catch on quick!" shouted Asuka, as she drove the large weapon through a EVA's neck.

Shinji smiled slightly and drew his progressive knife, and held it out offensively towards one of the grinning EVA's.

_Can't I have a normal day for once?_ thought Shinji, as he began to advance towards the MP-EVA.

**-*-**

SEELE had been watching the entire event. The members where currently blaming each other for what had gone wrong. It had been a while since they had met in person, and Keele knew they would all end up bickering.

"I told you we shouldn't move up the attack by three hours!" shouted the U.K member.

"So I made a bad decision! Who cares!" shouted the Russian member.

"I care!" shouted the U.K member back, "Because of that, the pilot of Unit-00 was not in NERV headquarters! We had a chance to destroy them all in one blow, but you had to order it earlier!"

"How was I supposed to know that!?"

"Maybe if you had planned better…" said the French member.

"The plan was flawless! It was just executed wrong!" said the American member.

"And you could do better? I recall _your_ country's forces aiding NERV combat the JSSDF!" said the U.K member.

"You authorised the n2 strike! The Egg of Lilith has been cracked open, and is now completely useless! Third Impact cannot occur now, not _EVER_!" shouted the American, "The Bomber even missed the city!!"

While this drama of what the Cold War could have been amused Keel, the arguing would get them no where.

"Gentlemen," said Keele, and the room silenced. Keel folded his hand in front of his face.

"Given the circumstances of Ikari, Wrong Timing and Execution of plans, and that Unit-01 has taken to the field of battle, I believe that our options have decreased dramatically."

"What are you suggesting Chairman?" asked the French member, respectfully. Keele was silent for a moment.

"I feel we should contact _him._"

"What!?"

"Chairman, we cannot possibly…"

"If we cannot all be joined as one, then It is time we achieve immortality by another means."

"But Chairman, like _that_? Surely there is-"

"Gentlemen, I am left with no option." said Keele, pressing buttons on his desk and turning. The other members looked between each other, then also looked to the view-screen behind Keele.

The image flickered into life, and revealed the twisted and spiked face of metallic monster, red eyes glowing like the fires of hell. Behind the silver beast, other metal monsters stood, turning to the view screen. The monster acknowledged Keele, and growled.

"_**What do you want, insect?" **_said the monster with a deep guttural but smooth metallic voice, and scowling at Keele, "_**You where told to only contact me when the time was right." **_

"I understand my lord, but things are not proceeding as planned…" said Keel, a hint of fear in his voice. The monster was silent for a moment. It growled again and shook. It turned back to SEELE, and each member felt fear take a hold of their hearts. The monster sighed deeply before it spoke.

"_**Why aren't they?" **_

Keel swallowed when the monster spoke. It was more of a demand than a question.

"It seems Ikari has decided to act out on his own, Our attempt to subdue him has failed…"

"_**You gave me your word human. You told me this world would bow before me." **_

"I know my lord…But we cannot control the human mind…Ikari acted without our knowledge."

"_**You have disappointed me human," **_

"We understand my lord, Bu-"

"_**By blaming your scapegoat for your own failings. Your minds and planning destroyed that which you strove so hard to achieve. You humans are such fickle creatures." **_

Keele's mouth twitched. How dare he be blamed for Ikari and SEELE's errors.

"What would you have us do now?" he asked, covering his anger.

The monsters on the screen chuckled, and the leader seemed to glare directly at Keele.

Keele felt sweat begin to form on his brow.

"_**Because of all of SEELE's failings, We are now forced to take a more active role. We will be there soon…And you better have a good reason why I have to act personally." **_

"Y…Your coming _here_!?" said Keele. The other members looked between each other.

"_**You have left me no option. What is that human saying…'If you want something done right, Do it yourself'?" **_

"Y…Yes my lord."

"_**Yes. Recall your EVA series, They are now under my control. My scientists will oversee the upgrade process. I shall make elevate them to something worthy of serving under my name. Continue to give funding to NERV, allow them to rebuild and repair, so that they do not know this charade was of your doing. This… deception will aid us when the time is right. Do NOT fail me again."**_

Keele and SEELE bowed their heads, and spoke as one,

"We live to serve you, Lord Megatron."

-

**Well, Was that ending a shocker? It was SO hard to write it without giving the game away to early. This will use TF Live-Action move designs, but **

**I'll try to keep the personalitys that made the characters so great in the first place. **

**_Next time:_ NERV's rebuilding begins, Misato gets a new car, and is being followed by an American Police car, Rei meets a strange truck...and Megatron wants some answers.**


End file.
